Strand tension mechanism



Aug. 30, 1960 R. P. BENNETT STRAND TENSION MECHANISM Filed May 28, 1958 REXFORD BENNETT INVENTOR.

Q ATTORNEY United States Patent STRAND TENSION NIECHANISM Rexford P. Bennett, Honesdale, Pa., assignor to Heany Industrial Ceramic Corporation, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of New York Filed May 28, 1958, Ser. No. 738,529

2 Claims. (Cl. 242-154) My invention relates to a strand tension mechanism for creels and other textile machinery operating on fine metal wire, plastics, and fibre materials, wherein there is employed one or more pairs of cooperating comb members of ceramic or other suitable material, one of'each pair being fixed and the other movable with the strand moving between the comb members, and it has for its purpose to provide a simple and easily controlled mechanism for changing the tension on the strand by means of an adjustment of the pressure exerted on the movable comb member toward the strand and stationary comb member.

Such adjustments have conventionally been brought about by disc tensions, weight controls, or other means, and it is a purpose of the invention to accomplish this with a structure that permits a fine adjustment in a quick and easy fashion, and which is compact, of light weight, low cost, and readily attachable in the desired position on any machine.

Still another object of the invention is to mount the movable comb member rotatably on a post that is attached to a bracket of sufficient length to accommodate two sets of comb members if required, the tension on the movable comb member being governed by a cylindrical coil spring surrounding the post and connected to the comb member and to a rotatable tension adjusting device that can easily be turned and held in any desired position to vary the tension of the spring in its action on the movable comb member, which latter is provided with a finger piece for moving it against the tension of the spring when necessary to thread a strand between the comb members.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford a simple and practicable means for controlling the spring and varying its tension through the instrumentality of a tension adjusting collar rotatably mounted on the post and having a series of recesses that are selectively engageable with a fixed stop, and in conjunction therewith a bushing for guiding the yarn and mounted upon a support that is slidably adjustable on tracks arranged parallel to the post, such that the yarn can travel through said bushing in its movement to the comb members at a point in adjustable relationship to the source of supply.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view showing a preferred embodiment movable comb member approaching the fixed comb member;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation with parts broken away; and Fig. 5 is a similar view with the spring tension adjusting collar withdrawn from its stop or locking element to permit changing the position of the tension adjusting collar and thus changing the tension of the movable comb member.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, there is provided a bracket including an elongated portion 1, an arm 2 spaced from and parallel to the body portion 1, and an end portion 3 including a U-shaped recess 4 by which the bracket .is mounted upon an upright 5 forming part of the textile machine to which the device is attached. 6 designates a fastening screw adapted to be threaded through an opening in the end portion 3 and to engage the upright 5 for holding the bracket in operating position.

7 designates a comb member of ceramic or other material having spaced curved fingers such as illustrated in Patent No. 2,743,069, April 24, 1956, and fixedly attached to the body portion 1. The strand travels between the fingers of the fixed comb member 7 and a cooperating movable comb member which is held yieldably in proper relation to the fixed comb member to permit the strand to travel therethrough under tension. It is desirable to provide a mounting for the movable comb member such that the tension governing the latter can be easily and quickly adjusted, or the comb member readily moved out of operative relation to the fixed comb member when it is desired to thread a strand between them.

To accomplish this, the movable comb member which is indicated at 8 and includes a series of spaced fingers complementary to the fingers of the fixed comb member 7, is mounted upon a carrier or plate 9 mounted on a sleeve 11 provided with an operating finger portion 12. The sleeve 11 is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical post 13 which extends into an opening in the arm 2 and is held fixedly therein by a set screw 14 which enters a threaded opening in the arm and engages the post 13. The movable comb member and its sleeve are rotatable on the post 13 and held against outward movement thereon by a stop 15 formed or provided on the post 13 and arranged to engage either end 16 of a cutaway portion 17 provided on the outer end of sleeve 11, or to engage the adjacent outer edge of the sleeve and thus limit its outward movement, or its turning movement in opposite directions, and acting to hold the movable comb member normally in proper operating relation to the fixed comb member.

In order to retain the sleeve 11 in normal operating position against the stop 15, a cylindrical coil spring 18 is arranged on the post 13 between the rotatable sleeve 11 and a tension adjusting collar 19 mounted on the post 13, one end of the spring 18 being fixedly connected to the adjusting collar 19 while the other end of the spring 18 engages the rotatable sleeve 11 as shown in Fig. 4 and acts to move the sleeve in a direction such that the movable comb member is actuated toward the fixed comb member and thus holds the strand under tension against the fingers of the fixed comb member.

The tension adjusting collar 19 is provided with a knurled finger portion 21 and a series of slots or recesses 22 which are selectively engageable with a stop or pin 23 provided on the arm 2. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4, the movable comb member exerts a given tension on the strand depending on the position of the spring and tension adjusting collar 19, and in order to vary the tension, the sleeve 19 can be withdrawn from engagement with the stop 23 against the action of spring 18, as shown in Fig. 5, and turned to bring another recess 22 into position for engagement with the stop 23. By

selecting a particular recess 22 and releasing the adjusting collar, the tension of the spring on the movable sleeve can be increased or decreased to vary the pressure exerted on the strand.

' Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the strand travels upwardly through a ceramic eye or bushing 24 that is mounted on a plate 25' which is slidably adjustable on spaced oppositely arranged tracks as forming part of or mounted on the body portion 1 and arm 2, while 27 designates a fastening plate arranged on the under side of the tracks 26, the bushing 24 being held in adjusted position by a screw 28 extending through the plates 25 and 27 and clamping them against the tracks 26. In this fashion, the eye or bushing for guiding the strand can be readily adjusted in relation to the supply package or source, and after leaving the bushing 24, the strand travels through and between the comb members, as indicated in Fig. 1, and outwardly through an eye or bushing 29 mounted at the end of the body portion 1 in line with the path of travel of the strand after it exits from the bushing 24.

In the normal operation, the movable comb member is held against the strand by a given tension, and when positioning the strand between the comb members, the movable comb member can be readily moved away from operative position by pressing the finger piece 12 against the action of the spring 13. When it is desired to vary the tension of the spring and the pressure of the movable comb member against the strand, the tension adjusting collar 1) is withdrawn from stop 23, see Fig. 5, and rotated on the post 13 to bring a selected recess 22 into line with the stop 23, whereupon by releasing the tension adjusting collar 19, the latter is maintained in the selected position and the tension of the spring 18 thus increased or decreased to apply any desired pressure on the movable comb member.

While the invention has been herein described in relation to the particular structure shown, it is not confined to the details herein disclosed, and the application is intended to cover such modifications or departures as may come within the purposes of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Strand tension mechanism comprising a bracket including an elongated body portion and a spaced parallel arm of less length than the body portion, a strand guiding bushing at the outer end of said body portion, a fixed comb member mounted on the body portion and a co-acting pivotally mounted comb member, a post fixedly attached to said arm in spaced parallel relation to said body portion, a sleeve mounted on said post and carrying said pivotal comb member, an operating finger piece attached to the sleeve between its ends, a tension adjusting collar rotatable on the post and having a series of recesses extending longitudinally from one end of the collar, a knurled finger portion at the other end of the collar, a pin fixed on said arm selectively engageable with said recesses, and a cylindrical coil spring arranged on said post between the sleeve and the adjusting collar, one end of said spring being connected to said sleeve and the other end of the spring being connected to the adjusting collar, said collar being freely movable away from said pin endwise of the post and rotatable around the post when moved away from said pin, said collar being movable automatically into locking engagement with said pin when released.

2. Strand tension mechanism comprising a bracket including an elongated body portion and an arm of less length than the body portion spaced from and arranged parallel to said body portion, a comb member fixedly mounted on said body portion, a rotatable comb member, a sleeve on which said rotatable comb member is mounted, a post extending from said arm parallel to said body portion of the bracket, said sleeve being rotatably mounted on the post, a stop fixed on said post acting to limit movement of the sleeve outwardly of the post and in opposite directions around the post, a tension adjusting collar rotatably arranged on the post and having a series of recesses extending longitudinally from the end of the collar adjacent to said arm, a knurled finger portion at the other end of the collar, a pin extending from said arm and selectively engageable with said recesses, and a cylindrical coil spring surrounding the post arranged between said sleeve and said collar, the spring being fixedly connected at its ends to said collar and sleeve respectively and acting to operate the movable comb member toward the fixed comb member, the collar being freely movable away from the pin endwise of the post and rotatable around the post when moved away from said pin, said collar being movable automatically into locking engagement with said pin when released.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

